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Monday, May 31, 2010
Top Vermonter cracks the podium with third-place run in Vermont City Marathon
By John A. Fantino, Free Press staff writer • Monday, May 31, 2010
Justin Fyffe said he’s visualized running in the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon every day since December. Over and over and over,” he admitted.The 30-year-old from East Dummerston, Vt. saw months of daydreaming turn into everything he wanted Sunday with a third-place finish in the 22nd running of the VCM.
Fyffe cruised Burlington’s 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 16 seconds, claiming fame as the fastest Vermont resident in a field of more than 3,600 runners.
“This has been my goal race since December and I put everything I had into it,” said an elated Fyffe, who crushed his previous personal record of 2:27:32, set with a fifth-place finish in last year’s VCM.
“I wanted to podium more than anything.”
Fyffe carried out his plan to perfection. When winner John Crews and runner-up Gavin Coombs rocketed to a fast pace in the first half of Sunday’s race, Fyffe stayed within his means. Estimating he was in seventh or eighth place for much of the morning, he made his move in Burlington’s New North End.
“It wasn’t until Mile 20 or 21 where I can taste a podium spot and I’m glad I could hang on for it,” Fyffe said. “(The leaders) broke away early. I knew they were faster than me, so I didn’t get greedy and blow up. I stuck to my plan, stayed very conservative, very steady.”
Chadwick Shepard of Williston was the next fastest Vermonter in 25th place with a time of 2:46:07. Thomas Dunn of Burlington took 31st in 2:50:09.
Buxton, Maine’s, Curtis Wheeler, who like Fyffe is a North Country Union High School graduate, was fourth overall in 2:23:46.
Fyffe, a machinist at Bradford Machine in Brattleboro, had a lot of recent success running competitively, taking ninth place 50-kilometer Gibraltar World Championships in October and second in the 2010 USATF New England 10-Mile Championships.
He intends to compete in the Mount Washington Road Race in July, which includes a 6,288 accent to New Hampshire’s tallest peak. Although it might be tough for him to exceed the excitement he enjoyed Sunday after a three-foot podium climb.
“I grew up in Derby and I love Vermont. It feels like it’s a hometown race even though it’s a couple hours away,” said Fyffe, who vows to return to next year’s VCM. “I want to win this race some day.”Contact John A. Fantino at 651-4851 or jfantino@burlingtonfreepress.com
Fyffe cruised Burlington’s 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 16 seconds, claiming fame as the fastest Vermont resident in a field of more than 3,600 runners.
“This has been my goal race since December and I put everything I had into it,” said an elated Fyffe, who crushed his previous personal record of 2:27:32, set with a fifth-place finish in last year’s VCM.
“I wanted to podium more than anything.”
Fyffe carried out his plan to perfection. When winner John Crews and runner-up Gavin Coombs rocketed to a fast pace in the first half of Sunday’s race, Fyffe stayed within his means. Estimating he was in seventh or eighth place for much of the morning, he made his move in Burlington’s New North End.
“It wasn’t until Mile 20 or 21 where I can taste a podium spot and I’m glad I could hang on for it,” Fyffe said. “(The leaders) broke away early. I knew they were faster than me, so I didn’t get greedy and blow up. I stuck to my plan, stayed very conservative, very steady.”
Chadwick Shepard of Williston was the next fastest Vermonter in 25th place with a time of 2:46:07. Thomas Dunn of Burlington took 31st in 2:50:09.
Buxton, Maine’s, Curtis Wheeler, who like Fyffe is a North Country Union High School graduate, was fourth overall in 2:23:46.
Fyffe, a machinist at Bradford Machine in Brattleboro, had a lot of recent success running competitively, taking ninth place 50-kilometer Gibraltar World Championships in October and second in the 2010 USATF New England 10-Mile Championships.
He intends to compete in the Mount Washington Road Race in July, which includes a 6,288 accent to New Hampshire’s tallest peak. Although it might be tough for him to exceed the excitement he enjoyed Sunday after a three-foot podium climb.
“I grew up in Derby and I love Vermont. It feels like it’s a hometown race even though it’s a couple hours away,” said Fyffe, who vows to return to next year’s VCM. “I want to win this race some day.”Contact John A. Fantino at 651-4851 or jfantino@burlingtonfreepress.com
Friday, May 28, 2010
May 24 - May 30
Mon - 13 miles in the heat
Tue - 8 miles
Wed - 13 miles w/ track workout
Thu - 0
Fri - 3 miles
Sat - o miles
Sun - 27 miles
Total -64 miles
Tue - 8 miles
Wed - 13 miles w/ track workout
Thu - 0
Fri - 3 miles
Sat - o miles
Sun - 27 miles
Total -64 miles
Thursday, May 27, 2010
8 x 400
Objective : 8 x 400 @ 70 seconds
Recovery : 400 jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Mark, Andy, James, Mike, Erin, Bill, Greg, Goupil
Result :
72 / 68 / 70 / 70 / 70 / 69 / 70 / 70
Overview : Just a shake out. The temperature was very hot and made it a bit uncomfortable. Mark and I had fun trying to see who could pace a quarter closest to 70 seconds. He won with a split of 1:10.02. My closest one was 1:09.93. Mary took some pictures of the workout and they are posted on Mark's blog. Anyway, the hay is in the barn and now we wait. It was a fun cycle and I hope to run well.
Recovery : 400 jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Mark, Andy, James, Mike, Erin, Bill, Greg, Goupil
Result :
72 / 68 / 70 / 70 / 70 / 69 / 70 / 70
Overview : Just a shake out. The temperature was very hot and made it a bit uncomfortable. Mark and I had fun trying to see who could pace a quarter closest to 70 seconds. He won with a split of 1:10.02. My closest one was 1:09.93. Mary took some pictures of the workout and they are posted on Mark's blog. Anyway, the hay is in the barn and now we wait. It was a fun cycle and I hope to run well.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Bedford 12K (USATF NE Champs)
Jess and I headed into Chesterfield to pick up Greg early in the morning. We arrived in Bedford the customary 1 hour before the gun goes off. We met up the CMS crew and headed out for a warmup and typical juvenile chat. I was a little nervous before the race because I was having a hard time evaluating my condition. I honestly could not tell if I was on or off. I figured I would just go out with the leaders and see what happens. From what I could tell it was Mark, Joseph Koech and myself that quickly made our way to the front. This was of course, after we caught up to Dave Quintel, who probably covered the first 200 meters in 30 seconds. I hope he got a good shot for the papers. Anyway, the three of us jockeyed together for the 3 miles. I was feeling very comfortable and felt I could sustain the pace for a while. At mile three we had a pretty sharp left and from that point on it was solo. I don't feel like I surged or made any drastic move but rather just maintained my effort. I am very excited about this race. It is my first GP win outright. And to get a course record is pretty cool too. I think my legs enjoyed the low volume this week and are looking forward to another one. I'm sure after VCM they will be back to hating me again. It was cool to see some of the CMS crew. As far as the team scoring, we did awesome. We took the team title and showed New England that CMS is a force to be reckoned with. We have a quality squad with enough depth to hang with the big dogs. We put three runners in the top ten. I am very proud to be a part of it. Jess took a video of the finish and here it is.
Results
1 37:18 5:01 Justin Fyffe 30 M 329 CMS East Dummerst VT
New record. Old record 37:49.9 by Joseph Koech, Melrose, MA in 2009
2 38:10 5:08 Matthew Ely 34 M 423 BAA Natick MA
3 38:15 5:08 Mark Miller 29 M 428 BAA Keene NH
4 38:41 5:12 Nicholas Wheeler 24 M 502 ADIDAS Gorham ME
5 38:43 5:12 Bob Wiles 32 M 338 CMS Kittery ME
6 38:55 5:14 Michael Bunker 28 M 503 ADIDAS Rockland ME
7 38:57 5:14 Ben Schmeckpeper 27 M 429 BAA Charlestown MA
8 39:03 5:15 Ryan Carrara 33 M 195 NBB Hudson MA
9 39:04 5:15 Andy McCarron 27 M 536 CMS Keene NH
10 39:06* 5:15 Jim St Pierre 39 M 485 RUN Dracut MA
Results
1 37:18 5:01 Justin Fyffe 30 M 329 CMS East Dummerst VT
New record. Old record 37:49.9 by Joseph Koech, Melrose, MA in 2009
2 38:10 5:08 Matthew Ely 34 M 423 BAA Natick MA
3 38:15 5:08 Mark Miller 29 M 428 BAA Keene NH
4 38:41 5:12 Nicholas Wheeler 24 M 502 ADIDAS Gorham ME
5 38:43 5:12 Bob Wiles 32 M 338 CMS Kittery ME
6 38:55 5:14 Michael Bunker 28 M 503 ADIDAS Rockland ME
7 38:57 5:14 Ben Schmeckpeper 27 M 429 BAA Charlestown MA
8 39:03 5:15 Ryan Carrara 33 M 195 NBB Hudson MA
9 39:04 5:15 Andy McCarron 27 M 536 CMS Keene NH
10 39:06* 5:15 Jim St Pierre 39 M 485 RUN Dracut MA
Friday, May 21, 2010
May 17 - May 23
Mon - 9 miles easy
Tue - 12 miles
Wed - 15 miles w/track workout
Thu - 5 miles
Fri - 8 miles
Sat - 14 miles w/12K Race (37:18 CR)
Sun - 12 w/Goupil and James (out and back on the rail trail)
Total - 75 miles
Tue - 12 miles
Wed - 15 miles w/track workout
Thu - 5 miles
Fri - 8 miles
Sat - 14 miles w/12K Race (37:18 CR)
Sun - 12 w/Goupil and James (out and back on the rail trail)
Total - 75 miles
Thursday, May 20, 2010
8 x 800
Objective : 8 x 800 @ 2:20
Recovery : 400 meter jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Mark, Boj, Andy, James, Jeff, Brad, and Bill Gillard
Result :
2:19 / 2:20 / 2:20 / 2:19 / 2:20 / 2:19 / 2:20 / 2:19
Overview : The rain held off and it ended up being a great day for a run. The mist kept us cool. It was also a pretty good showing of runners with Bill coming to his first Wednesday with the group. My workout went well. The recovery made the session pretty easy, which is good. The tapering is going ok and I am ready to rock Saturday at the 12K.
Recovery : 400 meter jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Mark, Boj, Andy, James, Jeff, Brad, and Bill Gillard
Result :
2:19 / 2:20 / 2:20 / 2:19 / 2:20 / 2:19 / 2:20 / 2:19
Overview : The rain held off and it ended up being a great day for a run. The mist kept us cool. It was also a pretty good showing of runners with Bill coming to his first Wednesday with the group. My workout went well. The recovery made the session pretty easy, which is good. The tapering is going ok and I am ready to rock Saturday at the 12K.
Monday, May 17, 2010
May 10 - May 16
Mon - 17 miles (7 w/Mark, finished up @ 5:10 pace)
Tue - 12 miles
Wed - 18 miles w/ track workout
Thu - 14 miles (wicked easy because I am tired)
Fri - 17 miles w/track progression
Sat - 15 miles
Sun - 0
Total - 93 miles
Tue - 12 miles
Wed - 18 miles w/ track workout
Thu - 14 miles (wicked easy because I am tired)
Fri - 17 miles w/track progression
Sat - 15 miles
Sun - 0
Total - 93 miles
Friday, May 14, 2010
Track Progression
Objective : 3 mile track progression on tired legs
Keenyans : Me and Mark
Result :
9 miles on the road right onto the track. One mile easy and then a rolling start right into a three mile progression. The mile splits were 5:17 / 5:05 / 4:55.
Overview : This was Mark's idea (a good one) and I couldn't resist. I am still a bit fatigued from Wednesday but what the the hell. No matter how much I train, eventually, I will be running faster than I want to, for longer than I seemingly can. So, I might as well get used to it. VCM or Bust Man!
Keenyans : Me and Mark
Result :
9 miles on the road right onto the track. One mile easy and then a rolling start right into a three mile progression. The mile splits were 5:17 / 5:05 / 4:55.
Overview : This was Mark's idea (a good one) and I couldn't resist. I am still a bit fatigued from Wednesday but what the the hell. No matter how much I train, eventually, I will be running faster than I want to, for longer than I seemingly can. So, I might as well get used to it. VCM or Bust Man!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
6 x Mile
Objective : 6 x mile @ 4:50
Recovery : 400 meter jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Mark, Andy, Greg, Brad, Erin, James, Dan (Steve Chabot showed up late)
Result :
4:46 / 4:52 / 4:49 / 4:50 / 4:46 / 4:39
Overview : Great day for a workout. The air was cool and the wind was mild. I was looking forward to this workout and knew it would be tough. Initially, I was going to do it with 73 sec recovery (I may have to build up to that). I am very excited about how things are playing out. I feel like the last cycle has been the ride of a life time. I have been training with some great athletes and made some really good friends along the way. This just reiterates one of my favorite quotes: "Running adds life to your years, not years to your life." Anyways, afterwards we again, all went to Armadillos and ran into Michael from 3C Race Productions. He was on his way delivering tee's to the next big event.
Recovery : 400 meter jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Mark, Andy, Greg, Brad, Erin, James, Dan (Steve Chabot showed up late)
Result :
4:46 / 4:52 / 4:49 / 4:50 / 4:46 / 4:39
Overview : Great day for a workout. The air was cool and the wind was mild. I was looking forward to this workout and knew it would be tough. Initially, I was going to do it with 73 sec recovery (I may have to build up to that). I am very excited about how things are playing out. I feel like the last cycle has been the ride of a life time. I have been training with some great athletes and made some really good friends along the way. This just reiterates one of my favorite quotes: "Running adds life to your years, not years to your life." Anyways, afterwards we again, all went to Armadillos and ran into Michael from 3C Race Productions. He was on his way delivering tee's to the next big event.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
May 3 - May 9
Mon -PM 15 (8 solo 7 with Mark) Talked about VCM and ran pretty quick
Tue - AM 10 PM 9 (@ Nashua North High School (crazy storm came through))
Wed - 16 miles with track work
Thu - 8 miles (I sent all of my energy to Mark's 20 mile effort)
Fri - PM 17 miles (wanted 20 but I bonked)
Sat - AM 15 w/Mark PM 5 w/Mark
Sun - AM 14 miles in Putney
Total -109 miles
Tue - AM 10 PM 9 (@ Nashua North High School (crazy storm came through))
Wed - 16 miles with track work
Thu - 8 miles (I sent all of my energy to Mark's 20 mile effort)
Fri - PM 17 miles (wanted 20 but I bonked)
Sat - AM 15 w/Mark PM 5 w/Mark
Sun - AM 14 miles in Putney
Total -109 miles
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
12 X 400
Objective : 12 x 400 with 200 jog recovery
Keenyans : Me, Greg, Andy, James, Erin, and Dan
Result :
59 / 63 / 75 / 73 / 74 / 74 / 75 / 73 / 65 / 68 / 65 / 63
Overview : I still have some fatigue from this weekend, so I didn't try to do anything crazy. I mostly wanted to move and not miss a Wednesday with the group. It is so much fun meeting up and training with my friends. I have two more weeks to chase miles and then back off a bit. It is getting close and I am getting pumped.
Keenyans : Me, Greg, Andy, James, Erin, and Dan
Result :
59 / 63 / 75 / 73 / 74 / 74 / 75 / 73 / 65 / 68 / 65 / 63
Overview : I still have some fatigue from this weekend, so I didn't try to do anything crazy. I mostly wanted to move and not miss a Wednesday with the group. It is so much fun meeting up and training with my friends. I have two more weeks to chase miles and then back off a bit. It is getting close and I am getting pumped.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
16 Mile Clarance Demar Workout
I have been wanting to do this workout for awhile now. I just couldn't get it together health wise. Today was different. For some reason I was motivated and felt strong (raisin bagel?). My Dad helped me out and crewed my effort. It was extremely helpful to have him out there giving me encouragement. He gave me splits every 1/4 mile. I couldn't have done the effort without him. Here is some of the data:
4:53 / 5:18 / 5:01 / 5:16 / 5:10 / 5:08 / 5:07 / 5:08 / 5:09 / 5:05 / 5:09 / 5:11 / 5:07 / 4:56 / 5:05 / 4:58
Total Time : 1:21:49
I wanted to try to do the workout Ben Nephew mentioned, but basically threw that out after my first mile. I was way too excited and could not restrain myself from hovering around 5:10 pace. I was going to try and pick it up after 16 and really hammer 4 more miles but I didn't really have any steam left when I got there. I am still very happy about this run. I am pleased that I could muster this amount of energy after my highest volume week ever. I think I am going to give it one last push this week (chase miles) and then relax, come up with a game plan and try not to kill anybody while I taper. Jess, in advance, "Sorry". Well, back to the mileage hunt.
4:53 / 5:18 / 5:01 / 5:16 / 5:10 / 5:08 / 5:07 / 5:08 / 5:09 / 5:05 / 5:09 / 5:11 / 5:07 / 4:56 / 5:05 / 4:58
Total Time : 1:21:49
I wanted to try to do the workout Ben Nephew mentioned, but basically threw that out after my first mile. I was way too excited and could not restrain myself from hovering around 5:10 pace. I was going to try and pick it up after 16 and really hammer 4 more miles but I didn't really have any steam left when I got there. I am still very happy about this run. I am pleased that I could muster this amount of energy after my highest volume week ever. I think I am going to give it one last push this week (chase miles) and then relax, come up with a game plan and try not to kill anybody while I taper. Jess, in advance, "Sorry". Well, back to the mileage hunt.
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